A. All truly justified, adopted and sanctified persons do persevere in grace to the end, and shall assuredly attain the heavenly inheritance.

Q. 11. How do you prove this?

A. From God's everlasting unchangeable love, and his faithfulness in his promise of perseverance, as well as of heaven, which he hath made unto them. 2. From their union and relation to Christ, and his undertaking for them. 3. From the constant abode and indwelling of the Spirit of God in them. 4. From the nature of grace, which is an inbiding seed, which can never be totally extirpated.

Q. 12. May not any believer by falling into sin, fall from grace ?

A. Some believers may through the remainder of corruption in them, and the violence of Satan's tempting of them fall into sin foully, and so fall some degrees and measures of grace, but they will never fall totally and finally from grace. And when we see any to fall totally and finally from the profession which they formerly made, we may know that they were never that in sincerity, which they professed themselves to be, 1 John ii. 19. They went out from us; but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, no doubt they would have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.

37. Q. What benefits do believers receive from Christ at their death?

A. The souls of believers at their death are made perfect in holiness, and do immediately pass into glory: And their bodies being still united unto Christ, do rest in their graves till the resurrection.

Q. 1. How manifold are the benefits of believers at their death?

A. The benefits of believers at their death, is twofold: 1. In regard of their souls. 2. In regard of their bodies.

Q. 2. What are the benefits of believers at their death in regard of their souls?

A. The souls of believers at their death: 1. Are made perfect in holiness, Heb. xii. 13. And to the

spirits of just men made perfect. 2. They do immediately pass into glory, Phil. i. 23. Having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ.

Q. 3. Wherein doth consist the perfect holiness which the souls of believers shall have at their death?

A. The perfect holiness of believers souls at their death doth consist: 1. In their perfect freedom from the stain and pollution, from the being, or any inclination unto sin, Rev. xxi. 27. There shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth. 2. In their perfect rectitude of soul, and full conformity unto the image of Christ, Eph. iv. 2. Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.

Q. 4. What is that glory which the souls of believers at death do immediately pass into.

A. The souls of believers at death, do immediately pass into. 1. A glorious place. 2. A glorious company. 3. A glorious state.

Q. 5. What is that glorious place which the souls of believers at death do immediately pass into?

A. The glorious place which believers souls do immediately pass into, is their Father's house in heaven, where there are mansions prepared for them by Christ, John xiv. 2. In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you; I go to prepare a place for you.

Q. 6. What is the glorious company which the souls of believers do immediately pass into.

A. The glorious company which the souls of believers do immediately pass into, is the company of God and Christ in his glory, as also the company of angels and souls of other saints in their glory, 2 Cor. V. 6, 7, 8. Therefore we are always confident, knowing that whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (for we walk by faith, not by sight :) we are confident, I say, and willing weather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord, Heb. xii. 22, 23, 24. We are come to the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of

angels, to the general assembly and church of the first-born, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus Christ the Mediator of the new covenant.

Q. 7. What is that glorious state which the souls of believers at their death do immediately pass into?

A. The glorious state of the souls of believers immediately after death, is a place of blessed rest, Heb. iv. 9. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God, Rev. xiv. 13. And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord, from henceforth? yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours, and their works do follow them. Q. 8. What are the benefits of believers at their death in regard to their bodies?

A. 1. The bodies of believers at their death are still united unto Christ: for though death doth for a while separate their souls from their bodies, yet death cannot separate Christ from either; but as when Christ died his hypostatical or personal union still remained, his divine nature, being united both to his soul in heaven, and to his body in the tomb on earth: so when believers die, their mystical union unto Christ still remaineth, and Christ is united both unto their souls with him in glory, and to their bodies which are his members, even when they are rotting in the grave, 1 Cor. vi. 15. Know ye not that your bodies are the menbers of Christ! Thess. iv. 14. Them also which sleep in Jesus, will God bring with him. 2. The bodies of believers do rest in their graves as in beds, unto the resurrection. Isa. lvii. 2. He shall enter into peace, they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness.

Q. 9. What is the resurrection here spoken of?

A. The resurrection here spoken of, is the last and general resurrection of all the dead, that have lived in all ages, from the beginning of the creation which will be the first of the righteous, and then of the wicked at the last day, John v. 28, 29. The hour is coming in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth, they that have done good

unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation. 1 Thess. iv. 16. The dead in Christ shall rise first.

Q. 10. How do you prove that there shall be such a general resurrection?

A. It may be undeniably proved from the power of God, and the revelation of the word: If God be of infinite power, and therefore can raise all the dead: And infinitely true, and in his word hath revealed that he will raise all the dead, then there shall be a general resurrection. But God is infinitely powerful, and can raise all the dead, and infinitely true, and in his word hath revealed, that he will raise all the dead: Therefore there shall be a general resurrection. The ground of the Sadducees' error, who denied the resurrection, was their ignorance in these two great foundations of this doctrine; namely, the power of God, and the scripture, Mark xii. 24. Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures nor the power of God?

Q. 11. Shall the dead be raised with the same body, which they had when alive before?

A. The dead shall be raised with the same bodies, Job xix. 26. And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.

Q. 12. How do you prove that the dead shall be raised with the same body?

A. 1. Because if the dead were not raised with the same body, it could in no proper sense be called a resurrection, but a new creation. 2. Because the first body was an instrument of righteousness, or sin, and therefore shall share in the reward or punishment..'

Q. 13. Will not the bodies when they are raised differ from what they are now?

A. The bodies which shall be raised, will not differ from what they are now, in regard of their substance and essence; but they will exceedingly differ in regard of their qualities.

Q. 14. Wherein do unbelievers differ from believers at their death? -.

A. The bodies of believers are at their death shut up in the prison of the grave; and the souls of unbe- ;

hievers are shut down in the prison of hell, where they are filled with horror and anguish in the company of devils, and other damned spirits, and there reserved in chains of darkness, until the judgement of the great day, 1 Pet. iii. 19. By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison, which sometimes were disobedient. 2 Pet. ii. 4. God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them unto chains of darkness to be reserved unto judg

ment.

38. Q. What benifits do believers receive from Christ at the resurrection?

A. At the resurrection, believers being raised up in glory shall be openly acknowledged and acquitted at the day of judgment, and made perfectly blessed in the full enjoyment of God to all eternity.

Q. 1. How many ways may the benefits which believers receive from Christ at the resurrection be considered?

A. The benefits which believers receive from Christ at the resurrection may be considered in three respects. 1. In respect of the resurrection itself. 2. In respect of the day of judgment after the resurrection. 3. In respect of heaven after the day of judgment.

Q. 2. What are the benifits of believers in respect of the resurection itself?

all be put

A. The benefits of believers, in respect of the resurrection itself, is, that they shall be raised in glory. Q. 3. What glory doth this refer unto A. It doth refer unto the glory which upon the bodies of believers at their resurrection, which were vile bodies, both whilst they were putrified in the grave, and whilst alive before, as they were instruments of sin, and subject to diseases and death, Phil. iii. 21. Who shall change our vile body.

A. 4. What is that glory which shall be put upon bodies of believers at the resurrection?

A. The bodies of believers at the resurrection, shall be made most healthful, strong, spiritual, incorruptible, immortal, and most beautiful and glorious, like unto